Update: I quit using paper manuals for good last year

Honestly, it felt weird at first ditching those thick books. Now my bench is cleaner and I find specs way faster on the tablet.

3 comments

3 Comments

hollyg591mo ago

My toolbox used to be half full of those giant Chilton guides. I was SO proud of my paper tower that I almost cried when it fell over for the TENTH time. Switching to the tablet felt like learning to walk again, but backwards. Now I just look up specs in seconds, instead of spending minutes flipping pages and getting paper cuts. My bench is so clean now, I found a lost 10mm socket I thought was gone for good.

clairejenkins27d ago

But don't you miss being able to scribble notes in the margins of those Chilton guides? I get that tablets are fast, but my paper manuals have all my old fixes and tips written right there. If my battery dies or the screen gets greasy, I'm stuck. Plus, flipping through pages sometimes helps me remember steps better than scrolling. I keep one paper manual around for emergencies, and it's saved me more than once.

sandra_anderson1mo ago

Switched to online PDFs myself and saved both my knuckles and my sanity.